Electrical female terminals are well known in the industry. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,713,080 to Kennedy discloses a female electrical terminal for receiving a male blade terminal. This female terminal include first, second, third and fourth walls which are joined together into an integral unit at their edges between the first and the second, the second and the third, and the third and the fourth walls. A cooperable lock device is formed, in part, on a free end of the first wall and, in part, on a free end of the fourth wall. The cooperable lock device locks the walls into a closed configuration to define therein an interior volume in which the first and the third walls are in a facing relationship and the second and the fourth walls are in a facing relationship. Individual ones of a pair of terminal elements are formed integrally from respective ones of a pair of facing walls. Each of the terminal elements is folded back from its point of attachment to the wall into the interior volume of the terminal to form at a main blade terminal contacting portion which is resiliently deflectable when engaged by an inserted male blade terminal.
This female terminal requires two completely independent spring elements operative within the interior volume. In practice, this female terminal is particularly useful as a small female terminal. Further, the female terminal is typically used for low electrical current applications.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,540,603 to Fujiwara, a female contact is disclosed that has highly-precise, anti-overstress protrusions which are resistant to deformation caused by excessive external forces. The protrusions protect a spring-loaded contacting section from overstress and are located between a bottom wall and the spring-loaded contacting section which extends backward from a front end of the bottom wall. The protrusions are formed by bending a portion inwardly of the side walls between two slits formed therein. Since the protrusions are V-shaped with both ends fixed at the walls, the protrusions are generally not subject to deformation caused by external forces.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,834,678 to Emadi et al. discloses a kit for assembling an electrical connector for high voltage connections. The kit has only a pin contact terminal crimpable to a stripped conductor wire, a socket contact terminal crimpable to a stripped conductor wire, a terminal housing subassembly into which the crimped pin contact terminal is insertable, a terminal housing subassembly into which the crimped socket contact terminal is insertable, and connector housings having passageways into which the housing subassemblies are insertable. Each housing subassembly includes a rearward section extending rearwardly from the termination of the stripped conductor wire to the terminal and along a length of the insulated conductor to establish a long voltage leakage path for minimizing corona discharge events during in-service use. Each housing subassembly contains a retention clip therewithin to secure the terminal upon insertion and includes another retention clip therearound to retain the housing subassembly within the connector housing upon insertion into a housing passageway. The housing subassemblies include matable forward hood sections surrounding the pin and socket contact sections and establishing a long voltage leakage path along the connector mating face.
Although this female terminal is used for high voltage applications, it does not accept male blade terminals.
It would be beneficial to provide a female terminal assembly that accepts male blade terminals and is particularly useful for high voltage applications. The present invention provides these benefits.